For many years, I have said that positive change in the Ken-Ton School District must be measured by actual benefits that children receive in the classroom. Below is a recent statement from Ken-Ton School Board President, Jill O'Malley, which says how great things are in the district, BUT contains NOT ONE action that benefits children in the classroom. It is all "talk".

I challenge the entire Ken-Ton School Board to implement REAL POLICY that actually benefits children in the classroom, NOT just talk about it.

It is very lovely that the BOE will visit schools and classrooms, hold community forums, talk with other districts about curriculum, answer questions about a possible homework policy, BUT none of that is REAL CHANGE that benefits children in the classroom. It is a "show" to try to pacify a community that has lost trust in its school district.

​We need REAL CHANGE, not just "talk".

Here is the statement from the BOE President: Dear friends -We have some exciting news to share from our BOE meeting last week! First, we have decided that the Board will begin informal visits to the schools to see the great work being done with our students. Although we visit each school as a whole at least once throughout the year, we are looking forward to seeing real learning in a relaxed environment. A letter was sent out to all faculty and staff - we have already begun to receive invitations from teachers welcoming us into their rooms to see the miracles that happen everyday. Thank you!We are discussing the start of community forums. These would be informal meetings that stakeholders could attend and sit face to face with the BOE/Superintendent to ask questions. This will allow us to hear from our community members about a variety of concerns without the formality of a Board meeting. We feel strongly that we have been elected by this community - real accessibility is very important to us.In speaking with fellow Board members from neighboring districts, we have learned that many of them have developed their own curriculum. During our November meeting we will hear from admin about how these curricula were developed, who developed them, how long did it take, how do they refine it, how are teachers trained, etc. Although the State requires us to use Common Core, we feel an internally driven program to meet those standards is something Ken-Ton has needed for a long time.We are also working to publicly answer questions that come to us such as a district wide homework policy and access to Crosby field. This evening the Superintendent is hosting a meet and greet, an excellent chance to connect with our District's department leaders. Hope to see you there!

Based on the Ken-Ton Middle School Schedule Overview 2016-2017 (found below), it appears that the Ken-Ton school district is EXTENDING time for Math and ELA. Just two days ago, 400 people attended a Ken-Ton School Board meeting where there was much objection to the excessive amount of time being focused on Math and ELA. Now the district is ADDING MORE TIME for Math and ELA???

In a recent communication shared with me by faculty and staff (found below), Ken-Ton Superintendent, Dawn Mirand, attempts to calm the extreme lack of trust in her leadership that currently exists in our schools and community. But promises are NOT good enough.

Parents, teachers, and the community want REAL CHANGE, not promises. Members of the community, parents and teachers are banding together to make sure that necessary changes are made. We have the power as a community to resist what is wrong and the power to insist that our demands are met. ​We have recently seen Governor Cuomo and the NYS Education Department employ strategies to attempt to quiet the opt-out movement. This attempt has failed miserably because there was no real change, just promises. The same is true of this situation in Ken-Ton. Until real change, designed by teachers and parents, is seen at classroom level and in the lives of children, parents and teachers will continue to resist. We will continue to resist until our demands are met.

Below is documentation from the NYS Committee on Open Government, the Ken-Ton Board District Policy Manual, and NYS School Board Association's 'School District Obligations Under the Open Meetings Law'. I have provided links to the actual documents as well as the pictures below.

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From NYS Committee on Open Government:"In short, it is my view that any member of the public has an equal opportunity to partake in an open meeting, and that an effort to distinguish among attendees by residence or any other qualifier would be inconsistent with the Open Meetings Law and, therefore, unreasonable."

From the NYS School Board Association's 'School District Obligations Under the Open Meetings Law':"...but cautions that if a school board permits public participation, it may not discriminate between residents and non residents (NYS Department of State, Committe on Open Government, OML-AO-4141, Feb. 24, 2006)."

In a letter dated April 4, 2016 (also found below), Buffalo City Honors Principal, William Kresse, uses misleading information, bullying tactics, and degrading criticism of parents in an attempt to convince them to participate in the NYS Common Core Assessments that are destroying public education for our children. Mr. Kresse paints a picture where the NYS Education Department has magically fixed the NYS Testing disaster in the midst of the greatest education revolt in United States history. Last year, parents of nearly 250,000 students boycotted these NYS tests, and many groups predict that number to double this year.

In his letter, Mr. Kresse portrays these tests as now being valuable and important to parents, teachers and students because of a few VERY MINOR cosmetic changes that Education Commissioner Elia has made:

Mr. Kresse cites that “NYS Assessments are no longer tied to teacher and principal evaluations.” This is extremely misleading because the tests are STILL tied to school evaluations, which continues to force a teach-to-the-test culture in schools. He also does not mention that the assessments are only TEMPORARILY disconnected from teacher and principal evaluations as a way to try to trick parents into participation.

Mr. Kresse cites that “This year’s assessments have been developed by a new organization, with NYS teachers selecting the questions.” What he does not explain is that the new organization, Questar, is using the questions that the old organization, Pearson, developed. He also does not explain that NYS teachers were only allowed to ‘select’ questions from a very small bank of ‘pre-written’ questions. He also does not mention who these teachers are, how they were chosen, and if they received pay. This was also done to try to trick parents into thinking that teachers are developing the assessments.

Mr. Kresse cites that “The number of questions and predicted time to complete the assessments has been reduced again this year.” The tests are about 10 minutes per day shorter than last year’s test. What he fails to mention is that parents have demanded a reduction from yearly testing in grades 3-8 to ONLY testing once in grade 4 and once in grade 8. The 10 minute reduction is, again, a way to try to trick parents into thinking that meaningful changes have been made, when in fact the real issues have NOT been addressed at all.

Mr. Kresse cites that “Students will have unlimited time to complete the assessments.” That’s like saying “We are giving you more time to do what you know is bad for you.” Once again, this is a meaningless change to try to trick parents into participating in a program that is harmful to the education of all children.

How can a test, that only assesses ELA and Math, be used to inform instruction for the entire list above? It cannot, and therefore, the entire culture of school shifts from being centered on the whole child to being centered on ELA and Math test scores. That is why we refuse participation.

And finally, Mr. Kresse goes on to say, “As an International Baccalaureate principal who is formally charged with encouraging students to be ‘responsible risk-takers’ and develop future leaders for our city, I also cannot accept teaching our children to cower from reasonable challenges.” This is a terrible insult to parents and children. We do NOT refuse these tests to avoid a challenge. We refuse these tests because they use our children as political pawns in the employment marketplace to evaluate schools based only on ELA and Math test scores that do not represent what our schools actually do. We refuse because we stand against education malpractice.​Mr. Kresse has no business being in the education field in any way. He discriminates against parents that are rightfully teaching their children to stand against the unrighteous. He uses one-sided bullying tactics to try to scare parents into participating in a harmful system. He disseminates misleading information to try to trick parents into following his misguided agenda. Parents and children that refuse NYS assessments are the leaders of education in the state. These parents and children are the ones who are taking a stand and not blindly following a path that does not have the best interest of children in mind.

As we approach the 4th year of opting-out of NYS tests in the Ken-Ton school district, the district has now developed a consistent district-wide policy that treats opt-out students and parents with respect and dignity.

When you walk into a school, what do expect to be the first thing you see? Student paintings, science projects, clay sculptures, drawings, or maybe a mural painted by students?

How about TEST SCORES?

At Lindbergh Elementary School in Ken-Ton, the first thing you see are test scores. Here are the pictures:

This is no surprise, however. According to the district website, the Number One Goal of Ken-Ton is “All students will reach mastery in literacy and numeracy.” That makes it quite clear that the district’s number one goal is to focus on higher test scores in ELA and Math.

Back in September of 2014, the district sent out a memo to all middle school teachers that said, “Our district and school student achievement results reveal that a large percentage of our middle school students are not achieving proficiency on state ELA and math examinations. It is, therefore, required that every ELA and math teacher in grade six (6) through eight (8) begin implementing the NY State ELA modules and math modules beginning Tuesday, October 14, 2014.” The district shifted to the use of scripted modules, instead of teacher designed lessons, simply to get higher test scores. The district put test scores ahead of children. The result has been a drastic reduction in learning for our children. Here is that memo and the district goals:

“How can this be,” you ask? Didn’t the Ken-Ton School Board unanimously pass a resolution against overreliance on standardized testing? Yes, on October 8, 2013, the Ken-Ton School Board unanimously passed a resolution titled “Resolution Regarding Overreliance on Standardized Testing”. In that resolution, the school board specifically stated, “standardized testing is adversely affecting students across all spectrums”, and “ standardized testing is eroding student learning time, and narrowing curriculum and jeopardizing the rich, meaningful education our students need and deserve.” Clearly, the district has NOT honored their resolution. They have acknowledged that a focus on standardized is hurting our children, and they are doing it anyway. Here is that resolution:

What was once a student-centered school district that valued each child has now turned into a factory designed to get higher test scores. The district even went so far as to hire Harris Beach Attorneys at Law to do a study to show what organizational changes could be made to reach the district goal above that “All students will reach mastery in literacy [ELA tests] and numeracy [Math tests]”. This is all funded with taxpayer dollars. To put it in simple terms, the district hired Harris Beach Attorneys at Law to show how the district can get better test scores using our money. Here is that district document: http://www.ktufsd.org/cms/lib/NY19000262/Centricity/Domain/9/Emphasizing%20Student%20Achievement%20Executive%20Summary.pdf

The district’s ‘Vision’, according to their website, is to “Be the premier school district in New York State by 2020.” I think we would all agree that TEST SCORES are NOT what makes a district premier. Here is a list of what the district should really be focusing on instead of test scores: collaboration skills, research skills, life skills, debating, reading out loud, public speaking, sociology, three dimensional thinking, respect, critical thinking, self-awareness, historical literature, current literature, planning skills, charity, philosophy, geography, keyboarding, empathy, foreign language, cooking, sewing, woodworking, math, enjoyment of learning, art, morals, trust, theater, intrapersonal skills, relationship management, ethics, self-confidence, music, history, physical education, health, ELA, spatial relations, naturalism, teamwork, work ethics, self-control, freedom, playing, science, creativity, psychology, technology, trust, business, government, and integrity.

OPT-OUT of the STAR tests and NYS tests!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our children deserve it!!!

This year students are given the entire school day to complete each section of the NYS Common Core tests. The NYS Education Department has issued clear instructions about the lunch break. “So that their tests will not have to be invalidated, the proctor should not return the test materials to any students who during the lunch break violated the instruction not to discuss the test content.”

In addition, the NYS Education Department explains that “Schools are not expected to extend the school day in order for students to complete a test session.” I’m sure that’s a relief for many parents.

Have you heard misleading information such as your school district remaining or becoming a Focus District if it has less than 95% participation in NYS tests? Well take a look at this.

According to this Buffalo News article (also found below), Ken-Ton School district had an opt-out rate of 6% in 2014 and 37% in 2015. Both years the district fell below the required 95% participation rate. And, according to Ken-Ton School district officials (also found below), just this month Ken-Ton was REMOVED from the NYS Education Departments list of Focus District schools and is now considered a ‘District in Good Standing’.

Do you still believe school officials that tell you that 95% is required to avoid Focus District status?

Whether it’s ignorance or intentional trickery we may never know, but Nyack Public Schools Superintendent, James Montesano, recently wrote a very misleading letter that insults educated parents who know the truth about NYS tests. In the letter (found below) Mr. Montesano encourages participation in grade 3-8 NYS tests, and he paints a picture where the NYS Education Department has magically fixed the NYS Testing disaster in the midst of what is probably the greatest education revolt in United States history. Last year, parents of nearly 250,000 students boycotted these NYS tests, and many groups predict that number to double this year.

In Mr. Montesano's letter, he portrays these tests as now being valuable and important to parents, teachers and students because of a few VERY MINOR cosmetic changes that have been made. But, what about the fact that:

- Parents and teachers still don’t get to see all the questions to know if the tests are valid. - Parents and teachers don’t even know what exact questions students get right or wrong, making it impossible to meet the individual needs of students. - These tests are developmentally inappropriate verified by nearly 70% failure rate. - Test results are generally not received until after the new school year begins, making it impossible to assist students for the start of school. - Schools and districts are still evaluated based on these test scores thereby still forcing a teach-to-the-test classroom environment - Focus and priority schools are still determined by these test scores thereby still forcing a teach-to-the-test classroom environment - Receivership is still based on these test scores thereby still forcing a teach-to-the-test classroom environment - These NYS tests are only decoupled from teacher evaluations for a short moratorium period and will soon be used again for teacher evaluations - Teachers are still evaluated based on local tests during the moratorium period thereby still forcing a teach-to-the-test classroom environment - Curriculum is still implemented in line with NYS tests thereby forcing a teach-to-the-test classroom environment - These tests are very expensive and take funding away from programs that could truly help student learning - These tests are still administered every year and have not yet been reduced to administration only once in grade 4 and once in grade 8 as parents have demanded.

Just this week, the Chancellor of the NYS Board of Regents announced that she “would opt-out at this time” if she had children in school (article here). The NYS Commissioner of Education announced that parents “absolutely” have the right to opt-out of NYS tests (article here). Governor Cuomo announced that, “the grades [on NYS tests] are meaningless to the students” (article here).

Mr. Montesano's attempt to persuade parents to participate in this flawed testing program is an insult to parents. These tests are NOT valuable to students. Parents will continue to refuse participation. With the likelihood that opt-out numbers will grow this year, I would like to encourage all Superintendents to view this 'Superintendent Opt-Out Tool Kit'so that students and parents are treated respectfully and in non-misleading fashion. Parents see through the misleading propaganda regarding NYS testing, and these misleading tactics will tarnish reputations of those portraying a false narrative. Please treat students and parents respectfully and truthfully. It is not worth sacrificing the lives of innocent young children just to push the political agenda of those in Albany.

Author

Eric Mihelbergel is one of the original founders of NYS Allies for Public, Western New Yorker's for Public Education, and NYS Refuse the Test. Eric has personally helped thousands of parents across the state of NY to fight against high-stakes testing. He is an avid public speaker on education issues including how to refuse NYS tests, and he has authored many articles. In the spring of 2015, Eric successfully helped parents of over 220,000 students coordinate the boycotting of NYS Common Core tests.